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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25086208">Labels</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceNightmare/pseuds/SpaceNightmare'>SpaceNightmare</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, Coming to terms with his sexuality, Gen, Pride</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:34:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25086208</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceNightmare/pseuds/SpaceNightmare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"He had done a lot of research about different sexualitys now and still nothing fitted in the way he had hoped. There were people who were attracted to men, to women, to both, to none, to non-binary people and possibly a lot more, and there were a lot of labels for all of those sexualitys, but none of them felt right for Ianto."<br/>Ianto trys to find his label, but he can't find it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Labels</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the Pride Event of the Ianto Jones Cult on Discord.<br/>I'm no native speaker so there might be some mistakes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You people and your quaint little categories”, that's what Jack always used to say. At first Ianto hadn't understood what he meant by that, putting everything under a label was a thing that always felt normal to him, as an archivist it was his job after all, but now he understood it.<br/>He had done a lot of research about different sexualitys now and still nothing fitted in the way he had hoped. There were people who were attracted to men, to women, to both, to none, to non-binary people and possibly a lot more, and there were a lot of labels for all of those sexualitys, but none of them felt right for Ianto.<br/>If he thought about it, logically, he would probably say that he was bisexual or maybe pan but it didn't feel right and he didn't know why. To be honest, it stressed him out. A lot.<br/>He thought this would help him, he thought this was supposed to make everything easier for him, but it didn't. He had once thought he was heterosexual and had to find a new label now, but what if the label he chose wasn't the right one? What if he told everyone that he was bisexual and than found out that there was a different sexuality that he felt better with? Would they think it was just a phase? Would they think he faked it?<br/>All of those thoughts circled around in his head and he couldn't find an answer, he couldn't find a way out. The room started to spin and he lost track of time as he stared into nothing and tried to get control over his thoughts again.<br/>Why did he have to do this? Why was heterosexuality the normality? Why was it taken for granted that your partner had to had the opposite gender? Why couldn't everyone just love who they loved without being judged for it? Ianto didn't know. All he knew was that he had loved Lisa and that he now was in love with Jack and he wouldn't want to change those feelings.<br/>His thoughts slowed down a bit and he caught a thought. “Why am I doing this?”<br/>And this was when it hit him. He didn't need to do this. He didn't need to put a label on himself like he did with the objects in the archive.<br/>For some people it helped to have a label that described them, for some it was like finally seeing the light on the end of a long and dark tunnel. Some people saw that there were others who felt like this, other people who finally found a name for it. Some people spent there whole life searching for a name for these feelings. Some people would never find a fitting name and just go with one that was the closest. Some people changed there label now and than and all of those things were totally fine, all of those people were valid. Every person should be allowed to use the label they are the most comfortable with and if someone didn't find a good label than that was okay too.<br/>No one would hold a gun next to his head and ask him what his sexuality is.<br/>So if Ianto didn't want to use a label, no one would force him into using one.<br/>Okay, it was probably easier if you had one, it would make coming out and fitting in much easier but who bloody cared. If labels stressed him out so much, maybe it was best to not use one for now. If he would find one in the future that described him, that was great and he could start to use it, but if he didn't, that was fine too.<br/>The only thing that mattered was that Ianto was happy, that he was with the person he loved and that they loved him.<br/>He didn't know if he would ever have to properly come out and the thought of it still stressed him out, but now he knew what he would say: “I'm not heterosexual”, because that was the one thing he was sure about.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In conclusion, it doesn't matter which label you use or if you don't use one, you are valid and loved. Don't let anybody tell you something different.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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